Band: Krieg
Title: The Isolationist
Label: Candlelight Records
Distribution: Plastic Head Distribution
Release date: November 1st 2010
Review: CD

Four years after Blue Miasma (No Colours Records), mister Lord Imperial (also in The Royal Arch Blaspheme, Twilight, March Into The Sea, Weltmacht, Apothecary.Sound.Lodge and many others) and his ensemble recorded this sixth full length, The Isolationist, with producer Sanford Parker (he also did some studio work for bands / projects as The Gates Of Slumber, Yakuza, Lair Of The Minotaur, Nachtmystium, Pelican etc). This time some of the guest musicians worth mentioning are: Twilight-colleague Wrest (aka Leviathan) (bass), and drummer Chris Grigg of WOE-fame (check out the review on the new WOE-full length, released through Candlelight Records too, posted on November 26th).
And before starting the specific review on this new studio album, I must express my possession, my obsessive love to USBM too. It is difficult to me to stay as subjective as possible, because listening to new USBM material can cause a black-white opinion – you like it or you don’t. And because I have always considered Krieg as one of the leading projects (-> has also to do with the long existence; Krieg originally were formed in 1995) within this Black Metal sub-genre (forgive me the use of this definition; sub-genre, to put the whole into specific, narrow-minded categories), my expectations are extremely high.
And yes, The Isolationist fulfils my horniest expectations. First of all it comes with a chaotic and primitive sound that is misanthropic, nihilistic, raw and flesh-cutting – read: brave and intelligent dissonance of the highest order. Some might define it as rather cheap and easy, yet in this case (like in so many cases) it is necessary. On top of it, the production gives a slightly mechanical, industrialised, noisy impression too. Yes, the album even includes different samples and lots of challenging (bizarre without exaggeration) experiments. The compositions are asphyxiating and apocalyptic with mainly fast and pounding riffs, a battering straight-forward rhythm section and a sulphuric mouth of Evil. There are a few slower parts, penetrated with Funereal aspects (sometimes Esoteric comes to mind), and some epic parts too (especially the guitar melodies breathe a sense of victorious heroism). And even the limited (semi-) acoustic elements are suffocating and oppressive.

92/100

Ivan Tibos.